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Written by Richard Barrow
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Malee and Jane spend about two and a half hours at the Crocodile Farm. They then take a taxi to Ancient Siam which is only about ten minutes away. Ancient Siam is a large 320 acre (800 rai) open air museum. It is too big for them to walk around so they rent two bicycles for 50 baht each.
| Jane: |
This is fun riding around on a bicycle. I am glad that there are no hills here and so it isn't too difficult. |
| Malee: |
Usually we come in my father's car and he drives us around the park.He then stops the car whenever we want to get out and explore. We usually bring a picnic and eat lunch on the grass in the shade of a tree. But this is the first time I have rented a bicycle. |
| Jane: |
What are we going to do about lunch today? I am getting hungry. |
| Malee: |
There are some restaurants in the floating market. We can go there next. I want to show you Sanphet Prasat Palace first. It is over there. |
| Jane: |
It is very big and beautiful. Did the King used to live there? |
| Malee: |
Yes, there used to be a palace just like this in Ayutthaya about three hundred years ago. Ayutthaya used to be the capital of Thailand. It was destroyed in 1767 when the Burmese attacked the city and burned it to the ground. |
| Jane: |
So this isn't the real building? |
| Malee: |
No, it is a copy that they made from drawings made by foreign visitors. But some of the buildings here are real. For example, that one over there was going to be knocked down so that a condo could be built. But the owners of the Ancient Siam bought the old building and brought it here. |
| Jane: |
That is good. That means we can see what Thailand looked like hundreds of years ago. I like the Thai style wooden houses. Why do they build them on stilts? |
| Malee: |
In some areas they are built on stilts as they are near rivers. If there is a flood then they will stay dry. In other areas the animals will sleep on the ground floor and the family live in the room above. |
| Jane: |
Let's go and eat now. I am starving. |
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VOCABULARY:
spend = ใช้ (เวลา)
Ancient Siam = เมืองโบราณ
acre = หน่วยวัดเนื้อที่เป็นเอเคอร์ (2.53 ไร่=1 เอเคอร์)
open air museum = พิพิธภัณฑ์กลางแจ้ง
explore = สำรวจ
picnic = ไปเที่ยวนอกบ้าน
rent = เช่า
floating market = ตลาดน้ำ
Sanphet Prasat Palace = พระที่นั่งสรรเพชญปราสาท
palace = พระที่นั่ง, พระราชวัง
destroyed = ถูกทำลาย
Burmese = คนพม่า
knocked down = ถูกทุบทิ้ง
starving = หิว
 UNIT 3 |
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UNIT 5  |
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